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Meet Cheesel…

Have you ever been outside in a storm, or even on a really windy day? It can get pretty crazy, hey? Well, Cheesel, the Ringtail Possum, was brought to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital after a big storm.

She was alone at the bottom of a tree and we think she was separated from her mother during the rainstorm. She was still very small, had only a thin layer of fur and still needed a mum for warmth, comfort and food. The vets at the Wildlife Hospital decided Tamara, one of the zoo keepers, should be her pretend mum. Tamara told mum and I that she had to take Cheesel home every day with her, and teach her how to drink milk out of a bottle. And get this – even how to go to the toilet.

Possum potty training must be tricky, but now, Cheesel is all grown up and lives happily at the Education Centre, she even gets to meet students and people every day.

Ringtail Possum’s have a very curly strong tail, and when I asked Tamara why she chose the name Cheesel, she said it was because Cheesel’s tail wrapped around her finger like a Cheesel that you eat. Hearing that made me laugh; but also made me think it’s a very good name!